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Malcolm Nichols

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Malcolm E. Nichols
Nichols c. 1908
Mayor of Boston
In office
January 4, 1926 – January 6, 1930
Preceded byJames Michael Curley
Succeeded byJames Michael Curley
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
from the Fifth Suffolk District
In office
1918–1919
Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the Tenth Suffolk District
In office
1907–1909
Personal details
BornMay 8, 1876
Portland, Maine
DiedFebruary 7, 1951 (aged 74)
Jamaica Plain, Boston
Resting placeForest Hills Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Edith M. Williams
Carrie M. Williams
ChildrenClark S., Dexter, Marjorie
Residence(s)173 Centre Street, Boston
Alma materHarvard College
[1][2][3][4][5]

Malcolm Edwin Nichols (May 8, 1876 – February 7, 1951) was a journalist and American politician. Nichols served as the Mayor of Boston in the late 1920s. He came from a Boston Brahmin family and is the most recent Republican to serve in that post.

Early years

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Nichols was the son of Edwin T. Nichols and Helen J. G. (Pingree) Nichols. He graduated from Harvard in 1899.[6] He was married on December 16, 1915, to Edith M. Williams (died 1925). They had three children, sons Clark S.[7] and Dexter, and daughter Marjorie.[8] In 1926 he married Edith's twin sister Carrie Marjorie Williams.[8] His son Clark acted as his best man and his son Dexter acted as the ring bearer.[7][9][10]

Early career

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Journalism

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Nichols was the Massachusetts State House reporter for The Boston Traveler,[11] covering both houses of the legislature, and later a political reporter for The Boston Post.[2]

Public service

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In addition to his newspaper work, Nichols was a lawyer and Collector of Internal Revenue.[12] of Internal Revenue. He was elected to the Boston Common Council in 1905.[13] He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives,1907–09, representing Ward 10 of Boston[14] (the Back Bay), where he was a member and clerk of the House Committee on Metropolitan affairs.[1] He served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate, 1914, 1917–19.

Mayoralty

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Nichols was elected Mayor of Boston in November 1925,[15] serving from 1926 to 1930.

Nichols' mayoralty saw the creation of two dozen new schools, 197 new streets, and the start of construction on the Sumner Tunnel. He focused on increasing Boston's municipal services, providing $3 million in raises to city workers. In 1926 he raised taxes but every year after saw cuts. He relaxed zoning restrictions in his 1928 pyramidal building statute, allowing the construction of many skyscrapers, such as the United Shoe Machinery Corporation Building, and creating a boom in their construction. He established the Boston Port Authority and Boston Traffic Commission. He attempted to combat congestion in the city by proposing a $5 to $10 annual parking fee, claiming that "four out of every five cars" parking in downtown Boston were owned by nonresidents. He also attempted to lower telephone rates.[6][13]

Nichols was unable to run for reelection in November 1929 due to a ban on consecutive terms at the time. He was succeeded by his predecessor, James Michael Curley.

Later career

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Nichols was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor in the November 1933, November 1937, and November 1941 elections.

Personal life

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Nichols was a Swedenborgian and of English ancestry. He was a member of the Freemasons, Shriners, and Elks. Nichols died of a heart attack, in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, on February 7, 1951. He was interred in Forest Hills Cemetery in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Who's who in State Politics, 1908, Boston, MA: Practical Politics, 1908, p. 265
  2. ^ a b Harvard College Class of 1899 List of Addresses, Occupations, Marriages, Births, and Deaths, Cambridge, MA: Harvard College Class of 1899, June 1905, p. 21
  3. ^ "MAYOR NICHOLS INAUGURATED". The Boston Globe. January 4, 1926. p. A1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  4. ^ "CURLEY INAUGURATION WILL BE HELD TODAY". The Boston Globe. January 6, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  5. ^ Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court, Boston, MA: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1918, p. 554
  6. ^ a b "Nichols, Malcolm Edwin, 1876-1951 | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". archives.boston.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  7. ^ a b "Son, 9, Best Man at Wedding Of Mayor Nichols of Boston", Amusements, The New York Times, p. 31, 23 November 1926
  8. ^ a b Time, 6 December 1926 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ "BOSTON'S MAYOR WED; 9-YEAR SON BEST MAN; Mr. Nichols's Bride Twin Sister of Late Wife-Church Crowded at Ceremony", Amusements, The New York Times, p. 17, 27 November 1926
  10. ^ Time, 27 November 1926 {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ Gifford, Stephen Nye (1904), A Manual for the Use of the General Court, Boston, MA: Massachusetts General Court, p. 473
  12. ^ "Republican Wins Boston Mayoralty – Nichols Has 22,000 Lead Over Nearest Democrat, One of Seven Rivals – Klan Beaten in Detroit – Mayor Smith, Whom It Fought, Has 16,692 Lead in Half the City". The New York Times. 4 November 1925. p. 1.
  13. ^ a b "Collection: Mayor Malcolm E. Nichols collection | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". archives.boston.gov. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  14. ^ Marden, George Augustus (1908), A Manual for the Use of the General Court, Boston, MA: Massachusetts General Court, p. 437
  15. ^ "Boston Elects Republican Mayor". Salt Lake Telegram. Salt Lake City. AP. November 4, 1925. Retrieved March 14, 2018 – via newspapers.com.

Bibliography

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  • Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court by the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1918) p. 554.
  • Who's who in State Politics, 1908 Practical Politics (1908) p. 265.
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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts
1926–1930 		Succeeded by
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